Deep within the lawless Oregon Territory of the late 1800s, a dirt-poor, strong-willed cowpoke, Albert (Don Murray), arrives in town, hoping to make a name for himself and rise above his penniless origins. Albert and his cowboy partner Tom (Stuart Whitman) earn enough money to buy a ranch, but run afoul of cattle baron and town bully Jehu (Richard Egan). The sexy, streetwise hostess of the local dance hall (Lee Remick) comes to Albert's aid, but in his quest for upward mobility and respect, he switches his affections to the banker's daughter (Patricia Owens)—triggering a disturbing chain of events threatening everything he has worked for, in this action-packed 1959 Western with an unexpected film noir edge.